Looking for ways to keep the kids busy over the mid-winter break? Staten Island has some great events and options for families.
It’s every kid’s favorite time of the school year: break time! The midwinter break for many schools runs from Monday, February 16 to Friday, February 20. Here in Staten Island, there’s plenty to do to keep everyone busy. It’s loaded up with exciting events: learn about nature with the Urban Park rangers, spend an afternoon at the library enjoying their wonderful free programs, hit the Staten Island Museum for some hands-on workshops, or check out the Staten Island Children’s Museum for some February fun!
Urban Park Rangers
Kids Week: Kindness Rocks!
February 16, 11 am – noon
Blue Heron Nature Center, 222 Poillon Ave.
Join the Urban Park Rangers in learning more about local geology while participating in the Kindness Rocks Project. This is a project that occurs nationwide where people gather to paint rocks with kind messages that will be left in different spots in parks. When you encounter one of these rocks, you can snap a picture, share it with the Kindness Project, and move it to another location to spread kindness. Bring your own rock!
Kids Week: Year of the Horse…Of Course
February 17, 11 am – noon
Ocean Breeze Pier, Seaview Avenue and Father Capodanno Boulevard
Join the Urban Park Rangers and Parks Enforcement Patrol Mounted Unit as they celebrate Lunar New Year. It is the year of the horse. Learn about Lunar New Year and meet horses while taking a stroll around Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.
Nature Walk and Quill Writing for Kids & Families
February 18, 11 am – 1 pm
Conference House Park, 298 Satterlee Street
Join NYC Parks, the Urban Park Rangers, and the Friends of the Biddle House for a nature walk along our trails and beach, followed by a quill writing art activity! Bring your sneakers and imagination and enjoy this fun President’s Week/Winter Break activity.
Kids Week: Winter Wonderland Bingo
February 18, 1 pm – 2 pm
Allison Pond Park, Prospect and Brentwood Avenues
Join the Urban Park Rangers in the search to fill bingo cards with sights and sounds of the season! Use your senses to explore the local flora and fauna in the winter wonderland of Allison Pond Park!
Kids Week: Ranger Games
February 19, 11 am – noon
Silver Lake Park, Forest Avenue and Silver Lake Park Road
Spend an afternoon of fun with the Urban Park Rangers playing and learning new and exciting nature games.
Kids Week: Nature Sketching
February 20, 11 am – noon
Faber Park, 2175 Richmond Terrace
Find your artistic inspiration with the Rangers by delving into the sights and sounds of nature! Join in a stroll around the park, stopping along the way to sketch what speaks to you most.
Staten Island Museum
Midwinter Recess – Family Art Workshops
Feb. 18 – 20, 1 – 3 pm
Staten Island Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace
Join every afternoon for art and craft-based activities inspired by the museum’s collection.
Wednesday – Collage
Thursday – Drawing
Friday – Mixed media painting
Staten Island Children’s Museum
Discover the Rhythm of the World: S’Cool Sounds Percussion Workshop
February 16, 4 pm – 5 pm
Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace
Join for a hands-on introduction to rhythmic traditions from around the world. This workshop will focus on handheld percussion. Attendees will learn to play different rhythms using key musical elements. This interactive experience is perfect for all skill levels – no experience needed! Come join the rhythm and discover the joy of making music.
BubbleMania: Science, Art & Comedy! with Casey Carle
February 17, 3:30 pm – 5 pm
Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace
Spectacular science and hilarious humor combine in this fun show by Casey Carle, a comic bubble-ologist. This high-energy stage show combines his eye-popping skills with engaging, surprising & fun science…from mesmerizing fog-filled bubble sculpture and gobs of funky foam to cube-shaped bubbles and bubbles that trap a human inside. See how science can turn the ordinary soap bubble into something extraordinary.
Children’s Dental Health Art Workshop
February 18, 4 pm – 5 pm
Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace
Join Marcia Greene, DDS as she teaches children about healthy dental habits and leads a creative art project inspired by teeth.
Feel the Sounds of the Islands with Caribbean Vibe!
February 20, 4 pm – 5 pm
Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace
Caribbean Vibe Steel Drum Band’s performers provide fun festive music for all ages, sharing and elevating the joy of an instrument whose origin is rooted in the history of the Afro-Trinidadian struggle for freedom. Also known as the steel pan, the steel drum is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. It exemplifies resilience and resistance against oppression and is a fine example of human ingenuity. All ages welcome.
New York Public Library Events
Lunar New Year Storytime + Craft
February 17, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue
Ring in the Lunar New Year at the library during a special storytime and craft program for children! Enjoy engaging stories that celebrate Lunar New Year traditions, animals of the zodiac, and themes of family and good fortune, followed by a fun craft inspired by the holiday. Children and caregivers are invited to listen, create, and learn together as we welcome a new year filled with luck, joy, and celebration.
Aesop’s Fables Read-Alouds
February 17, 3:30 pm – 4 pm
Huguenot Park Library, 830 Huguenot Avenue
Join a read-aloud with interactive activities. Receive a free reading comprehension tool to take home at completion of the program. Explore the animal personification, ancient origins, diverse themes and moral core of Aesop’s famous tales.
Teen and Tween Art Studio: Mardi Gras Masks
February 17, 4 pm – 6 pm
Stapleton Library, 132 Canal St.
Do you enjoy arts and crafts? Join in the Teen and Tween Art Studio celebrate Mardi Gras by creating festive masks! Ages 10-17 welcome.
Learn to Draw The Nocturnals Characters with Illustrator Josie Yee
February 18, 3 pm – 4 pm
St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue
Get your pencils ready! Illustrator Josie Yee will show kids how to draw the three stars of The Nocturnals: Dawn the super‑smart fox, Tobin the sweet pangolin, and Bismark the chatty sugar glider. Kids will follow easy, step‑by‑step instructions and add their own creative flair as they bring these nighttime adventurers to life. Josie Yee is an award-winning illustrator and graphic artist specializing in children’s publishing. Her work includes eight early reader books featuring The Nocturnals.
Winter Olympics STEAM Challenge
February 18, 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
West New Brighton Library, 975 Castleton Ave.
It’s time for the WNB STEAM Winter Olympics! Learn about the history of the Games and browse books about the sports then join our children’s staff to use our artistic and engineering skills to recreate an event and see if you can take home the gold. This program is appropriate for children ages 6-12 years old.
Dungeons and Dragons at Dongan Hills
Fridays in February, 2 – 3:30pm
Dongan Hills Library, 1617 Richmond Road
Join Dongan Hills for big adventures in a weekly game of Dungeons and Dragons! Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a table top roleplaying game about adventure, mystery and drama in a fantasy based world. Meet new friends and have fun rolling dice, fighting monsters, and saving the realm.
Gates of Equality: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Story
February 20, 2 pm – 3 pm
Port Richmond Library, 75 Bennett Street
Learn about and celebrate Black History month with this special event dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This one person show features an intimate introduction into this important historical figure.
Graffiti Board Art for Teens
February 20, 3:30 pm – 4 pm
Richmondtown Library, 200 Clarke Ave.
Join the Graffiti Board Art for Teens program, outside in the green space on the side of the building where you can use spray paint to create on provided canvases! All supplies will be provided. Drop in, create your art, and meet new people! Open to Young Adults 14-18.
